Jorge Jesus ahead of Saturday's hosting of Arouca

Jorge Jesus is expecting a tough hosting of Arouca this Saturday, on Liga NOS matchday 27. However, the Alvalade boss is confident that his side will come away with the three points.

“Arouca are having a decent enough season. They are in fifth and are trying to defend that position. They have already taken points off our main rivals as well. We know it will be hard, against a team who are good on the break. They are a decent side for this league, but we are ready. The lads are in good shape and we are in the fight for the title", opened the Sporting coach, going on to add a word on what is expected to be another capacity crowd: "Sporting CP is not only battling back its identity when it comes to titles, but also with the fans. Everyone is proud of us once again and our fans are really young. How is it possible that a club that hasn't won a title for 14 years has so many young fans? It really should be a case study."

Jorge Jesus further added that his medical staff are pushing to get Jefferson back into action, but affirmed that he has options to come in for the suspended Marvin: "Esgaio is a player who knows the position and some other players in the squad can play there as well. I am sure whoever plays will do a good job."

“Sporting is the team with most players in the national team and that is a good thing. We have a lot of young players who are going through and to be honest the club is growing right across the board", finished Jesus.

Fernando Santos names squad for Belgium and Bulgaria friendlies

Sporting CP dominate Fernando Santos' squad for two friendlies against Belgium and Bulgaria, in a squad list issued this week.

Rui Patrício, William Carvalho, Adrien Silva and João Mário will all feature against Bulgaria on the 25th of March in Leiria, before the Portuguese take on Belgium on the 29th of March in Brussels.

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Eduardo (Dynamo Zagreb) and Rui Patrício (Sporting CP)

Defenders: Bruno Alves (Fenerbahçe), Cédric and José Fonte (Southampton), Eliseu (Benfica), Pepe (Real Madrid), Raphael Guerreiro (Lorient), Ricardo Carvalho (Monaco) and Vieirinha (Wolfsburg)

Midfielders: Adrien Silva, João Mário and William Carvalho (Sporting CP), André Gomes (Valência), Bernardo Silva (Monaco), Danilo Pereira (FC Porto) and Renato Sanches (Benfica)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Danny (Zenit), Éder (Lille), Nani (Fenerbahçe), Rafa (SC Braga) and Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas)

Sporting-Arouca contributes to the João Rocha Arena

A total of 40,000 tickets have already been sold for Liga NOS matchday 27, which will see Sporting host Futebol Clube de Arouca at 18h30 on Saturday.

CELEBRATE FATHER'S DAY

Family of 3 tickets (Club Member + Adult + Under-11) are available for the North Goal End for just 21€.

CELEBRATE JUVENTUDE LEONINA'S 40TH BIRTHDAY

Portugal's oldest organised fan group celebrates its 40th birthday this Saturday.

CONTRIBUTE TO MISSION PAVILION

With a year to go until the opening of the João Rocha Arena, 2€ from each ticket sold will be donated to Mission Pavilion.

The Alvalade ticket offices are open from 10h to 20h. Non-renewed special seats will go on sale on Thursday, freeing up tickets for Stand B. Anti-Crisis tickets, priced at 5€ (sectors A9 and A11) are still available for Club Members.

With 13 league games played so far this season in Estádio José Alvalade, a new record for the average attendance has already been set, standing at 38,577.

Sales underway for Liga NOS matchday 27

Tickets for Liga NOS matchday 27, between Sporting and Arouca, are on sale as follows:

STAND A
Central – 22€ for Club Members and 32€ for fans
Lateral – 17€ for Club Members and 27€ for fans
Goal End – 12€ for Club Members and 22€ for fans
Under-23/Senior – 12€ for Club Members
Under-11 – 3.5€ for Club Members

STAND B
Central – 17€ for Club Members and 22€ for fans
Lateral – 12€ for Club Members and 17€ for fans
Goal End – 7€ for Club Members and 12€ for fans
Under-23/Senior – 7€ for Club Members
Anti-Crisis – 5€ for Club Members
Under-11 – 3.5€ for club Members

Family tickets - 21€ (3 people) // 25€ (4 people)

'Mission Pavilion' Match
A year until the opening of the João Rocha Arena, €2 from each ticket sold will be donated to 'Mission Pavilion'.

SALES POINTS

ESTÁDIO JOSÉ ALVALADE TICKET OFFICES

- 15th to 18th of March: from 10h to 20h
- 19th March (matchday): from 10h until half-time

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

- payment methods available: Multibanco, VISA and Mastercard
- multibanco option available up to 24 hours before kick-off
- PDF ticket: to be printed on A4 (can be in black and white)

REGRAS DE ACESSO AO ESTÁDIO

- Entry prohibited to children under the age of 3
- Children over the age of 3 (inclusive) require a ticket
- Under-11 Club Member ticket: from 3 (inclusive) to 11 years old and valid for any section
- Under-23 Club Member ticket: from 11 (inclusive) until 23 years old with different prices for Stand A and B
- Senior Club Member ticket: from the age of 65 (inclusive) with different prices for Stand A and B
- Special Seats have preference until 72 hours before kick-off
- Fan tickets purchased on matchday are subject to a 3€ tax
- Match included in all 2015/2016 Gamebox packages
- Member fee applicable: February 2016

FAMILY TICKET

- Available for all North Goal End tickets of Stand A and B

- Family of 3 (Member + Adult + Under-11): 21€

- Family of 4 (Member + Adult + Under-23 + Under-11): 25€

- Additional tickets available for Family of 4 (minimum of 2): Adult (10€) and under-23 (5€)

- Club Members can take advantage of this promotion (replacing their usual seat)

- Category B Club Members can purchase this promotion for North Goal End - Stand B
 

ANTI-CRISIS TICKET

- Sector A9 + A11 (limited to 723 tickets) and priced at 5€

João Mário on Sporting's win in Estoril on Saturday night

For João Mário, Saturday's win against Estoril was the perfect remedy following recent results.

“It was a good response from us and we knew it was important to react tonight. We had an unlucky result last weekend, but we are still strong and we still believe in the work we are putting in", said the Sporting midfielder in a post-match interview, adding: "We didn't kill the game off and I missed a chance as well. Estoril got a goal back, but I think we dominated and it is a good three points for us. The most important thing is that we do our job. That is all we can do and we will see what happens."

Jorge Jesus on his side's 2-1 win against Estoril

"It was yet another example that Sporting's fans are fantastic", opened Jorge Jesus in his post-match press conference this Saturday evening, dedicating the win to both the Sporting faithful and president Bruno de Carvalho.

Speaking about the match itself and how the title race is panning out, Jesus added: "We have less and less games to play. We said we would be in the fight until the end and that is where we are. The objective today was to win, to keep up the fight for first place. It was crucial that we win today and that is exactly what we did. I thought we were really strong in the first-half and showed a lot of quality. We had chances in the second-half and that could have set a different result. Estoril are really dangerous when they play with three up front and from crosses, because they have some players who are really strong in the air. When you start to concede possession then you can always let in a goal, which it ws happened."

Slimani brace secures three points in Estoril

Sporting proved that the Liga NOS title race far from over this Saturday evening, with a 2-1 over Estoril to provisionally reclaim top spot.

Buoyed on by a stadium packed out by Sporting fans who had made the short trip from the capital to the outskirts, Jorge Jesus' side made a solid start to the encounter, pegging Estoril back and piecing together chances on goal. First to try his luck was Ruiz after the Costa Rican picked up possession after darting across to collect from a corner that he himself took, but it was Slimani who opened the scoring, when the Algerian masterfully controlled on the edge of the area, before cutting back across his marker and lashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Estoril responded with a shot down the other end from Mattheus, but the final product finished harmlessly wide in what was one of the host's few forays forward in the opening stages. With Sporting holding down possession, opportunities to extend the lead naturally followed. Teo fired a shot straight at the keeper after a driven pass by João Mário, before Ruiz sliced a tricky half-volley wide after Slimani had created space with a spectacular first touch and backheel.

The first-half finished exactly as it had started, with Sporting putting the ball in the back of the net. Of course it was Slimani who again did the damage, peddling backwards to get the jump on his defender and head home after a deadly hanging cross from Ruiz.

Sporting looked just as dominant after the break, particularly with some incisive passing down the right flank. First it was Schelotto who created a yard of space with a bit of skill and got a cross away, but neither Teo Gutierrez or Bryan Ruiz were able to convert. Next it was Slimani turned creator, sending in a driven pass that Teo came just inches of finishing. To their credit, Estoril didn't lay down and accept defeat and Mendy managed to break away into the Sporting 18-yard box, but Rui Patrício calculated his rush off his line to perfection to get his body in the way of the shot.

The pace of the game started to sap away as the clock ticked over and Estoril made the most of the chance to push their defensive line higher up th pitch. The move almost proved to be a disaster for the hosts, as Slimani exploited the extra space behind the back four. In fact, the Algerian came close to his hattrick after rounding Kieszek, but he denied himself an angle on goal in the process. João Mário also had a decent chance after a good pass from William, but the Sporting midfielder was unable to keep his shot on target.

To make for a nervy run-in, Estoril managed to get a goal back through Leo Bonatini after a corner that was headed on to the back post. Spirits lifted, the hosts almost drew level with the last kick of the game when Schelotto failed to clear away a header deep inside his own box, but Patrício made an instinctive save down low to secure three points.

Jorge Jesus includes 19 for the trip to Estoril

Jorge Jesus has included a total of 19 players for Saturday's short trip to Estoril, on Liga NOS matchday 26:

Goalkeepers: Rui Patrício and Azbe Jug

Defenders: Schelotto, Marvin, Ewerton, Coates, João Pereira, Ruben Semedo and Ricardo Esgaio

Midfielders: William Carvalho, Aquilani, João Mário and Bruno César

Forwards: Slimani, Teo, Bryan Ruiz, Barcos, Mané and Gelson Martins

Estoril-Sporting CP will get underway at 18h30 in Estádio António Coimbra da Mota.

Jorge Jesus looks ahead to Liga NOS matchday 26

Jorge Jesus is expecting a tough trip to Estoril this weekend, however the Alvalade coach is expecting his side's quality to secure the three points.

“Amoreira is always a difficult place for big teams to play. Our objective is to win of course and we know it will be hard, but we are confident, just like our fans are. As far as I know Amoreira has already sold out, which has been normal this year wherever we play. The fans have done us proud this season", opened Jesus, going on to reflect on the season so far: "What matters is that we focus on the facts: when we started the season, we said that we wanted to be in the fight for the title and that is exactly where we are. there are nine games left and we are in the fight."

Bryan Ruiz is still not certain for Saturday's encounter after picking up a knock last weekend, in what was a tough Lisbon derby. "Bryan only trained today and yesterday. A lot has been said about the tackle put in on him, but he has that much class that he even forgave Renato's foul on him. We are trying to get him ready for tomorrow and we will see how it goes. Bryan is an excellent player with a real intelligence on the pitch. He knows what he can do and he knows that everyone makes mistakes, but that doesn't take away from a player's quality."

Estoril-Sporting CP will kick off at 18h30 tomorrow, in Estádio Coimbra da Mota. 

The 2,200 tickets on sale at Alvalade for the match against Estoril have sold out

The 2,200 tickets available at Alvalade for Sporting's Liga NOS matchday 26 visit to Estoril have sold out.

Fans still wishing to attend the game can purcahse tickets at the Estádio António Coimbra da Mota ticket offices as follows:

FRIDAY: from 10h to 13h and from 14h30 to 18h30

SATURDAY: from 10h

Tickets on sale in Estoril are priced at €15 each (for the West or East Lateral Stand) or €25 (for the West Central Stand). All spectators must be at least 3 years of age and require a ticket.